Very often when buying a new computer or laptop, users note that the hard drive has only one working partition. In principle, there is nothing critical here, however, in the event of damage to the operating system or downloading virus programs, all data on the hard drive is compromised.
That is why it is worth considering how to split your disk into several volumes.
Partitioning a hard disk
Indeed, if you timely partition the disk into Windows, you can avoid the sad consequences. Practice shows that the main drive (for example, labeled C) is a system drive. The OS itself is installed on it, as well as the programs necessary for the user to work.
As for the remaining sections, there can be as many as you like, depending on the total volume of the hard drive. Usually they make 1-2 logical volumes, which save games, movies, photos and more. And even if the system drive has undergone formatting, other drives will remain untouched.
Ways to crash a hard drive
In principle, it’s easy to figure out how to partition a disk. But many users fear that their actions may harm the computer. But if you clearly follow all the instructions (the benefit of the Internet is simply overwhelmed with such recommendations), then there is nothing to worry about.
So, there are several ways to partition a hard disk into several partitions:
- using integrated Windows tools;
- using third-party software.
Both methods work well, but to be objective, the use of specialized software gives more guarantees in the success of the operation. Yes, and the opportunities to partition the hard drive into partitions in Windows, they have more.
Standard Windows Tools
Perhaps the easiest way, albeit not 100% reliable, is to use standard operating system tools. The sequence of steps to partition a disk in Windows 7 (as an example) is as follows:
- open the Start menu;
- “Computer” line (you can replace the first two points by simply double-clicking on the “my computer” icon on the desktop);
- then, right-click on “Computer” and select “Management” (usually, to perform this operation, administrator rights are required);
- in the window that opens, find and select "Disk Management". By the way, this method, indicating how to partition the disk, is relevant for all operating systems of the Windows family.
Now the most important thing is to deal with the functionality, because through this tool you can perform not only the partitioning of disks, but also their compression, and changing partitions.
Using specialized programs
Of course, standard operating system tools can help break down a hard drive. However, it is best to use a specialized program that will duplicate your actions and completely eliminate the likelihood of accidentally executed incorrect commands.
There are a lot of such programs on the Internet now, but Paragon Manager and Acronis Director are the best representatives in order to partition a hard disk into partitions in Windows 7 (or another OS).
These programs have an intuitive menu, simplicity of functionality and - most importantly - any action with a hard disk requires additional confirmation, with the ability to restore already completed operations.
Disk Partitioning with Paragon Partition Manager
So, the program that leads the TOP is Paragon Manager. Its functionality is very wide, but at the same time simple, which will allow even an inexperienced user to easily divide the hard drive into several sections.
Important! When breaking down a hard disk into volumes, it is worth remembering that the partition on which the operating system will be installed (or already installed) must be of the primary or system type. For all others, a logical and active type is assigned.
Already at the initial stages of working with Paragon, it becomes clear how to partition the disk. This is facilitated by a user-friendly interface and graphical components.
So, the existing main disk has a yellow color marking. All other active volumes have a blue color. If there are no partitions on the PC, that is, there is only one, then it is highlighted in green. In this case, the first stage of work is the full formatting of the hard drive.
Paragon Manager: step by step instructions
First you need to start the Paragon program (if Windows is not installed on the PC, you need to write the image of the program to CD / DVD / USB and start the drive through the BIOS / autorun menu at OS startup).
After opening the program, you need to select an operating mode for experienced users. Only in this way will the West functional of the program be available.
For information! Before you begin, you must complete all system processes and close running applications in order to avoid critical errors.
The next step is to open the "Partition List" tab, where all active volumes will be displayed. To select the necessary section, you need to right-click on it once. In the pop-up context menu, click on the "Resize Partition" item. This feature allows you to partition the hard drive into partitions in Windows 10, as well as in all earlier versions of the OS.
In the window that opens, you can see the current size of the source section, as well as editing options. In particular, here you can set the desired volume size after partitioning, as well as the amount of free space before / after the partition.
Work with free disk space
In fact, that's all, but what to do with the vacated place? After all, it is not yet activated, and upon completion of work with Paragon it will not be displayed. Its current status is “not marked”. To activate a volume, click on it with RMB and select "Create Partition". A window will open in which you should correctly set the settings for three points:
- file system (preferably using NTFS);
- section name (absolutely arbitrary - in Latin or Cyrillic);
- volume label (drop-down menu allows you to select any free character).
It remains only to fix the changes, for which it is necessary to select the "Apply changes" item in the "Changes" tab. Then all the procedures will be automatic, the PC will reboot several times and eventually the user will receive two partitions that are ready to work.
Partitioning Acronis Disk Director
Another powerful representative of utilities for partitioning a hard disk into several partitions is Acronis Disk Director. This program is practically not inferior to Paragon, and in some respects even surpasses it.
It’s very easy to figure out how to partition a disk using Acronis, since it is Russified, it has a simple and convenient menu, as well as color codes for the partitions used. This is an important factor, as it allows you to navigate which section has already been created, and which still needs to be finalized. The main volume is highlighted in green, and the active / logical ones are highlighted in peach. The free space and inactive disk space are gray.
A significant advantage of the utility is the ability to run it even on a PC with an uninstalled operating system. To do this, just burn Acronis to removable media and configure the autorun menu.
Acronis Disk Director: step-by-step instructions
Work begins with the launch of the program. In the window that opens, you can see that on the left side there is a list of available operations, and in the center are all the existing sections of the hard drive.
To select the source section, just left-click on it. Further, there are two development options:
- resize volume;
- split volume.
Both operations work in almost the same mode, with the exception of a few steps explaining how to partition a hard disk using Disk Director.
To resize the partition, simply move the slider in the active window to the left - the received volumes of the new partition (it is indicated as “Not busy”) can be viewed below, where the volume of the original volume and its size after changing are displayed in two lines.
Now you need to confirm the actions performed. To do this, click the "Apply Scheduled Operations" command. However, now you need to create a logical / active partition from the resulting free disk space.
To do this, create a volume by first clicking on the "Not Busy" section. After that the wizard for creating a volume will open where you will need to register a label, select a letter and indicate the type of partition to be created.
Again, the completion of all operations is pressing the “Apply Scheduled Operations” command, after which the computer will restart.
That's all, now the hard drive is divided into several partitions that perform different functions.
Each of the above methods of dividing the hard drive into several volumes is good. But it is worth mentioning that if the user has computer skills at the superficial level, then there’s nothing to try to make several volumes. The best solution would be to give the PC to specialists to guarantee the successful completion of the task.